howling into the void

Grace is visibly disturbed, baffled as to how this is happening. Rocky is confused, unsure as to what the message even means. Once Grace explains it, however, Rocky immediately agrees to help. Grace is more wary though, worried about how this is even happening and what sort of entity would communicate with them this way. Rocky points out that whatever is doing this is already polite enough to ask, so maybe it means no harm. They go back and forth a bit but ultimately, Grace sighs and selects ‘YES’.

There’s a pause before the screen changes to read:

MINE DEEPEST THANKS. PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED AT WHAT IS TO COME. THINE SAFETY IS GUARANTEED.

Grace and Rocky exchange looks when a faint shudder runs through the ship. Immediately, Mary alerts them that it’s shutting the engines down due to a catastrophic failure in the navigation systems. Confused and fearful, Grace demands to know why and the answer makes a pit of cold dread open in his stomach. Mary doesn’t recognize any of the stars it had been using to navigate; as if they’d suddenly been replaced with a completely different set.

Just as Grace is trying to wrap his head around this new mess, Rocky points to a window excitedly, light-reader pointed outside, demanding Grace to look. When he does, his jaw drops. There’s a planet below them, lush and thriving, blues, greens, browns and whites swirling over its surface. Around them, the blinking lights and shadows of passing artificial satellites prove the inhabitants are a fairly advanced civilization.

Before either of them can freak out too much, the weirdest thing happens.

An orange-and-blue humanoid figure flies into view. It hovers a cautious distance from their window, observing them with obvious curiosity. Grace lets out a minced curse while Rocky waves enthusiastically at it. In response, the alien’s double helix limbs form into humanlike arms to wave back. The creature then looks away, startled, and suddenly darts off.

Grace: *confused* Huh… that kind of looked like a Pokémon…

This is when the ship shakes ominously and a giant baleful yellow eye glares at them through the porthole.

A giant green alien dragon has apparently taken exception to the Hail Mary’s presence.

Grace and Rocky both scream.

Before it can take a bite out of the ship, the dragon is struck by a laser beam, forcing it off the spaceship. It roars in challenge as the first alien rushes it, keen on defending the vessel. It’s a spectacle to behold, the two creatures launching attacks at each other that rattle the Hail Mary. Unfortunately, a stray attack damages the ship enough that it starts to fall out of orbit.

With alarms screaming around them, it’s all Grace and Rocky can do but hold on as their world goes to shit. But then something invisibly grabs them and they’re bubbled in cushions of energy. Outside the ship, the orange-and-blue alien spreads itself and its powers to keep the craft in one piece as they plummet to the planet’s surface.

In Hoenn, a spaceship crashes to earth, leaving a massive crater but a startlingly largely intact vessel.

A shaken Grace manages to stumble out of the airlock in time to see the alien drag itself from under the ship and crawl to the human. Though terrified, Grace still does his best to thank for saving their lives. The alien just nods, seeming to understand it's in safe hands. Just then, the sounds of approaching helicopters and sirens become clear. As if knowing what’s about to happen, its form shrinks into a dormant triangle form and lands in Grace’s very confused hands. A faint pulse against his mind asks him to keep it safe before going quiet. Grace shoves it in his pocket, hoping that’s good enough for now.

Not sure what else to do, Grace helps Rocky out of the ship. They’re then given quite the surprise when hazmat-suited humans suddenly pull up and surround them, barking orders in a foreign language. More curious is the fact that they’re joined by non-human figures in hazmat suits, anything from quadrupedal creatures to giant hulks to things barely describable that follow in the humanoids’ lead.

Grace is quick to stand between the figures and Rocky, shielding his friend protectively from the clear threat. Based on the tone, these people(?) regard Rocky with some confusion but don’t seem terribly freaked out by the stone spider-crab thing in a ball. Far less so than Grace would expect anyone to react to a crashlanded alien on his world at least.

When neither Grace nor Rocky respond in the way the figures expect them to, a weird ball-shaped creature in hazmat gear is sent their way. It floats to rest before the two and starts… singing?

Grace: *squints* Hey, wait a sec… that looks like a Ji…

And that’s enough to send the two of them to sleep, collapsing where they stand.